Do you think Robert Thompson is truly rehabilitated?

[Cheffymcchef]

As we all know, James Bulger was a two-year-old boy from the UK whose tragic abduction and murder in 1993 shocked the world. Taken from a shopping center by two ten-year-old boys, John Venables and Robert Thompson, his death became one of the most harrowing and widely known cases in modern British history. To this day, nearly everyone who hears his name knows the heartbreaking story and the profound impact it had on public consciousness and the justice system.
both boys were released after serving 8 years, when they turned eighteen. John Venables returned to prison twice for possessing CSAM. He is currently still in prison.
I personally think Venables is sick and can’t be “cured” of his attraction to kids. He will always reoffend imo, even if his devices etc are taken away. He needs to stay in prison. He’s also allegedly revealed his identity and needed several new identities costing the taxpayer even more. I know you get all this “stop it now” therapy- I just don’t think pedophiles can be cured. It’s like trying to do conversion therapy on a straight person.
I don’t know how I feel about Thompson- he committed a heinous murder, but did his time in custody. He’s never reoffended and now allegedly lives with a partner who knows who he is. Can’t remember if he has children. From studying this case, it always seems like he was deemed the ring leader, yet he is the one who has cleaned himself up and stayed out of trouble.
both boys allegedly came from abusive households.
I know poor James' mum will never get over his death. I cant imagine the mixed feelings she must have, she likely thinks it was wrong for either boy to be released so young.
I can’t say I’d be too thrilled about Thompson moving into my area if that’s the case, but truthfully I think if he’s done his time he needs to be left alone now to live his life . But that’s probably a wildly unpopular opinion- because James will never get to live his life.
what do you think?

posted in crime but moved here for traffic

I’ve read the bbc link. I dunno. That letter could’ve been from a troublemaker. I feel for her but Essentially she hasn’t seen either boy since they were in court is that not correct?. I think it’s he fact the article is in inverted commas, and was taken on by news of the world, quite telling.

it may of been him but equally it may not of been.

The ACEs study was created and then their work was taken and manipulated into a framework which has been used the world over to label people as 'ruined for life' and people told they will never amount to anything because of their childhood by professionals who believed that this is the case under the belief that this is what is called 'trauma informed' which it isn't! Sadly it has created policies where people have been harmed as a result. The people who created the original study said for it not to be used like that as it causes harm.

Thank you - for speaking it how it is ❤️

It says news of the world originally ran the story

I do. And no, probably not. I'd be so clouded by rage and grief that I wouldn't be thinking clearly. I'd probably want them dead and to suffer. I am thankful that we're I ever to be in that situation, it wouldn't be my decision to make.

He probably was remorseful. When he was 18 he made a statement for his parole hearing in which he acknowledged the irony that he is remorseful for a crime he committed but that actually gave him access to a better life and better education.

This was in the children’s home- a LONG time before he was released.

In my work we still refer to Aces and I have never seen it used to write a child off. It’s used to demonstrate how childhood trauma can have an impact on their general wellbeing and behaviour. It’s used to help people better understand the ‘why’ of them behaving a certain way. It’s used positively to help the children overcome these adversities and hopefully build a brighter future. We have also had ex offenders, adults who have experienced childhood trauma come in and talk to the children about how they managed to turn their life around.

Why bother waiting? Why not just publicly hang them, aged 10? Surely if you're going to execute someone for a crime they committed aged 10, you should just have done with it. Or are you trying to pretend you're better than someone who kills children?

It hasn't been taken well by many agencies. I challenged my own council about it during safeguarding training and they tried to dodge questions repeatedly until I badgered them about it.

It has been used in many cases to write children off. It is not used to show that at all. Given that most kids who have had trauma will not display the 'behaviour' we expect as the ACEs have a stereotypical model too of kids going off the rails, being violent etc when most kids with trauma display none of that.

It ignores most kids with trauma too which is a sad thing and is very limited. Imagine telling a child that they couldn't get help because the person who raped them was only 4 years older than them so they didn't have an ACE as being abused by someone is only an ACE if there is a 5 year age difference. Yes that has happened. Also what we say as 'overcoming' is not so in most cases. Trauma can and often does stay with you for life and needs reprocessing periodically throughout your life. People could've had a bright future anyway as most people with so called ACEs do have a bright future. Sadly you believe they were destined for the bin without the intervention when in most cases that is not true.

The fact you have ex offenders in is shocking. Look kids this is what can happen. You can end up in the nick if you do not get help. Why do you not have talks from people like teachers/social workers etc about how they were successful without the ACEs framework to help them as most have managed so or do you just portray the 'this is what could be you' kind of thing to them when it is highly unlikely to be the case and so damaging to portray trauma as being likely to end them up as being a criminal or a life of shite as most do not.

OP - you make my blood run cold. How do you know so much?

Google is your friend

I would suggest if the true crime forum doesn’t get much traffic it’s for very good reason.

No need to relocate the conversation to a place us normal folk hang out.

This is all very well known stuff on Google/news articles. There is no need to be rude.

Why do you keep replying and writing here if you so obviously disapprove of the thread? You’ve replied to me four or five times now. It’s easy to unwatch the thread if you don’t want to be here.

Why spend hours and hours salaciously researching it then?

Nothing abnormal about crime

For many of us here it’s our job! You don’t get to say what can be posted or where. Did you know that? Op has done nothing wrong

I’ve just googled your username and you are trolling elsewhere/ trying to pick arguments on several other threads. Get a life. Have reported.

I try to see the best in people and I’m desperately trying to get my head around what you are trying to achieve here in the hope there are good intentions buried somewhere.

Simply untrue. I have never commented before except on a medical topic.

They are trolling on other threads, probably worth just ignoring them.

It takes two minutes to access the Wikipedia article, not hours and hours.

How does one research "salaciously" precisely?

OP you are clearly getting a hard time off people who somehow do not seem to realise they do not have to actually read your thread nor respond to it if it bothers them. Bit odd to come in here and police what others can and cannot talk about. I have recently submitted a paper (uni not to sunday world or such to clarify) on child killers so I do not want to say too much until my paper has been corrected in case I am the one accused of plagerism on my own paper but this is a topic that is a hugely talked about one in the forensic psychology world and I am sure many others. There were a lot of things that were sent via uni to us in the course of studying child killers especially these pair and some of the video links which are widely available on youtube etc are very harrowing but I do not believe should be swept under the carpet either.